By Dirgha Raj Prasai Lord Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini, mid-Tarai in Nepal, in the 6th century BC. Nepal has been a pious and holy land for all Buddhists as well as all kinds of religious men and women. Buddha has guided human society on the path of peace, non-violence and prosperous thinking. Gautam Buddha meditated at Sarnath, Vanarashi and acquired the Light of Knowledge (Mokchya) under the holy fig tree at Gaya, which is now called Buddha Gaya. English writer H.A. Oldfield has written, "There are about 2000 Buddhist shrines in the Kathmandu Valley. The majority of those are Chaityas. The Buddhists of Nepal have been adopting several Hindu deities as part of their religious behavior". "Buddhism is a breakthrough within the long traditions of Hinduism. That is Buddha achieved Nirvana without depending on super-humanity or divinity. The central message of Buddha is that an individual can achieve salvation by working within the human faculty. All of Buddha’s teachings and analyses are within rational self-examination of the world including one’s mind. Buddhism is not a political or social grouping. It is an inner discipline, similar to mathematics or music, practicable by anybody regardless of their religious or other backgrounds." Buddha dharma is more rigorous. Its root in Hinduism is symbolized by 'OM.' the 'OM' is the symbol of 'Brahman' in Adwaita, 'Godhead' in Dwaita and 'Bodhi' in Buddhism. The most repeated Buddhist mantra is 'OM Mani Padme Hum' or the 'Goodness comes out of Goodness. The greatness of Buddha is that he is able to bring many of the truths, which were considered purely a matter of faith and revelation, into the realm of rational deduction.  Buddhism is not merely a religion but a way of life; its intrinsic values teach all to be better humans and to serve humanity. Buddhism is a religion which is practised to gain enlightenment. Lord Buddha who propounded Buddhism is widely revered for guiding, the entire human society, towards the path of peace, compassion, non-violence and disciplined life. When Shankaracharya came north to the intellectual centers there, he borrowed many of the ideas that had been formulated by Buddhist philosophers of the past. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Shankara)” The unity of the three principal Dharmas of Hinduism in Nepal -- Buddhism (Buddha), Shaiva (Nilkantha) and Vaishnav (Narayan) -- is beautifully given in the temple located in the Kathmandu Valley, which we lovingly call – ‘Budha Nilkantha Narayan.’ A great contribution to the spread of Buddhism with the definition of a homely environment and Vikshus (begging alms) disseminated Buddhism was made by Shankaracharya. The opinion, doctrine and ethics strengthened Buddhism. Thus, Shankaracharya was not averse to real Buddhism. Nepalese princess Brikuti who married the King of China - the famous Shronchan Gompo -- speeded the Buddhism and the craftsman Araniko who built numerous famous Buddhist statues in China and Tibet. From the time of Shronchan Gompo, Buddhism became popular in China, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Japan, Mongolia etc. South Asia expert associated with the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, Professor Ma Hali remarks, "There is a great Buddhist population in China and they want to visit Buddha's birthplace in Lumbini. If the Lumbini project could see the light of the today, this would be good for Nepal and China." Medieval China learned and gained Buddhism -- 'the way of peaceful life.' Fa-xian, a famous monk visited the Buddha's birthplace. His account of the Lumbini "Record of Buddhist Kingdom" is applied as a useful historical asset. A Chinese scholar Xuan-zhang visited 636 Kapilvastu and his traveling accounts are known as historical knowledge. Lumbini, the holy pilgrimage had and has been attracting the Chinese monks to visit. The reality is that the Chinese monks contributed to preaching Buddhism in China, India, Burma, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and the western world also. The monks preached translating the Sanskrit sermons of Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism was developed as the most influential Buddhist heritage. Nepal and China have a long history of cultural relations. In 1895, a German Archaeologist Dr. A. Fuhrer, an Indian researcher Dr. P.C. Mukargee and Nepali scholar Khadga Shamsher discovered the missing pillar which was set up by the Maurya emperor of India, Ashoka where Gautam Buddha was born -- the most visible landmark of the Sacred Garden. The historic importance of the pillar is evidenced by the inscription engraved in the pillar (in Brahmi script). From excavations, it has been found that the Ashokan pillar stands on its original base of the unborn brick platform which concludes that the Pillar is at its original location. In 1967, United Nations Secretary-General, U Thant (himself a Burmese Buddhist), visited Lumbini and made an appeal in front of the international community for assistance to maintain and improve this world-famous pilgrimage site. Suggestions for the development of Lumbini as an international pilgrimage and tourist centre then came to light. And since the implementation of the Master Plan for the development of Lumbini, prepared by Prof. Kenzo Tange in 1978, Lumbini has been a marked scene for development, both as an international pilgrimage as well as a tourist centre. Lumbini was then enrolled in the World Heritage Site in 1997 AD. UNESCO too has published a report stating that there have been some activities which violate the basic essence of the Master Plan. For instance, the Peace Stupa in the Lumbini Center is built entirely against the Master Plan and violates its spiritual and technical aspects. It is now seen as a counterpoint of the Ashok Pillar which in its absurdity has affected monumentalize and spiritualism brought about by the Pillar. Late King Mahendra had visited Lumbini and advised the government officers to regard and secure the Buddha's land. King Birendra expressed 'Although Gautama Buddha was born in Nepal, he belonged essentially to the whole world and to all times. He blazed a trail leading humanity to cast off parochialism and seek liberation and enlightenment". "Nepalese civilization has brought about a marriage between Hinduism and Buddhism making them inseparable." Lord Buddha taught that peaceful minds lead to peaceful speech and peaceful actions. If the minds of living beings are at peace, the world will be at peace. Hindu and Buddhist traditions adapted from the pre-existing animist practices and each other. Indeed, in the medieval period, when both religions practice adopted mystical, Tantric traditions, they were almost indistinguishable from each other. Nepal is a rich and complex mix of different cultures and traditions, melded over thousands of years into a unique whole. A country's existence and prestige can gradually be eroded by finishing off its faith and belief tradition and culture and the creator of the nation. If anyone wants the assurance of integrity and lasting peace in this country, one must not be confused about the country's century's old customs and religious prestige as well as the builder of nationality and unity Having diverse cohesive communities, Nepal has built up as a nation in a long historical process. Since 2006, Nepal is in a very big crisis due to the imposition the secularism, republicanism and federalism by the party leaders following the path of Congress (I) Sonia Gandhi and the Christian nations and then, they became successful to end the identified symbol of the Hindu kingdom. Now, the voice of the Nepali people is incising day by day to restore the people-oriented monarchy and Hindu kingdom. On the auspicious birth anniversary of Lord Buddha, once again, I request all the Nepalis for their unified efforts in the restoration of the Hindu kingdom preserving Nepali civilization. Email: dirgharajprasai@gmail.com